The stark black-and-white image finds drummer Larry Mullen Jr. embracing his 18-year-old son -- a tip of the hat, U2 say on their website, to the cover images of their first two albums. Consequence of Sound has already proclaimed the idea "terrible."

Mullen's son presumably represents a grown-up version of the child who graced the covers of both 1979's 'Boy' and 1983's 'War.' "Holding on to your own innocence,' Bono says on the band's site, "is a lot harder than holding on to someone else’s."

This edition of 'Songs of Innocence,' due in stores on Oct. 13, will be available on CD and vinyl, with additional content like bonus tracks and demos.

“We’ve always been about community in U2, about family and friends," Bono says. "'Songs of Innocence' is the most intimate album we’ve ever made. With this record we were looking for the raw, naked and personal, to strip everything back.”